Axial piston pumps with a swash plate construction are the prior art. They are used widely for supplying pressure to loads such as power cylinders, hydraulic motors and the like. Axial piston pumps of the type specified in the introduction, in which the angles of the swash plates in relation to the rotational axis can be adjusted, are distinguished, with respect to likewise known axial piston pumps having stationary swash plates, by a better energy balance during operation. Pumps having stationary swash plates, which function as a fixed displacement pump with a predefined drive rotational rate, always convey a constant volume flow of the fluid, even when no energy is demanded from systems that are actuated by pressure. Those pumps then must overcome the flow resistances in the hydraulic circuit while running idle, for which drive energy is expended while supplying no useful energy. The pump delivery volume can be set to zero through the adjustability of the swash plate inclination. The need for drive energy can then be minimized. An axial piston pump of the type specified in the introduction is disclosed in DE 44 15 510 C1.
The production costs for the known axial piston pumps of this type are high, because a significant engineering effort is needed for the adjustment device having the driven connection, which drive connection converts the linear movement of the piston in the stationary adjusting cylinder into an arc-shaped movement of the swash plate.